After reading the letter, Xun You felt mixed emotions. He was happy that Xun Yu was not dead and was rescued by Liu Qi.
What is worrying is that Xun Yu persuaded in the letter that Cao's army was doomed and that Cao Cao's expedition to the northern desert was actually a way of self-preservation and a way of leaving a name for posterity, so he should no longer serve the Cao family.
Looking at the mud granary on the ground, Xun You became more and more desperate. He forced himself to return to the village, unfolded the letter and read it again by himself. He was in a dilemma for a moment.
That night, Xun You tossed and turned in bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep in the second half of the night, he was awakened by a rapid knock on the door.
The guards outside the door reported urgently: "Military Advisor, something bad has happened. The enemy has sneaked into the valley and burned the plank road..."
"What?" Xun You's hand trembled as he lit the lamp, and he said anxiously, "Send someone to put out the fire!"
The camp was in chaos at this time. When Xun You got dressed and went out, the defenders lit torches and went down the mountain towards the valley entrance.
Looking from the top of the mountain, the sky in the distance was all red, and it seemed that the fire was quite big. The plank roads were connected for nearly a hundred miles and were all made of wooden stakes. They had been dried out after years of wind and sun. Once burned, it would be extremely difficult to repair them.
Xun You's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. The food and grass had not yet been delivered, and his retreat was cut off. Liu Qi's plan was extremely cruel.
At dawn, the soldiers returned empty-handed. After days of hunger and nights of hard work, they were already exhausted and sat on the hillside wailing.
Xun You ordered someone to report the news to Xiahou Yuan, while selecting elite soldiers and preparing to break out from Taibai Road to Chencang. However, as soon as they arrived at the place where Xiahou Wei had ambushed before, they were intercepted by the Han army.
Not only was the road in the valley blocked, but there were also archers guarding the cliffs. Once someone entered, rocks and trees would fall down.
Fa Zheng led two generals, Wu Lan and Deng Xian, to guard here, and ordered the soldiers to pass on the message that as long as they laid down their weapons and surrendered, they could survive. There was only a rock crack ahead that was wide enough for one person to pass through, and there would be hot meals if they walked through it.
Smelling the aroma of mutton wafting downwind from the valley, hundreds of Cao's troops defected on the spot, and the rest fled to report the news.
At this moment, Xun You suddenly realized that since Xiahou Yuan attacked the mountain stronghold and Liu Qi deliberately showed weakness, he might have already set up this plan, and it was even very likely that Huang Zhong had faked an injury.
He and Xiahou Yuan thought they had a good plan, but they didn't know that Liu Qi had already set up a trap. The Xiegu Road was completely cut off, and there was a large army in front of them, so they were completely trapped.
At this point, Xun You was no longer willing to force the soldiers. The mistake was caused by him, and if he was too forceful, it might even cause a mutiny.
After thinking it over again and again, he ordered his men to pass on the order that those who were willing to follow Xiahou Yuan could take the remaining food and grass and move forward, and the rest of the troops could go or stay as they pleased.
At noon, Xun You led more than a thousand soldiers to Hanzhong. The rest of Cao's soldiers stayed in the camp and did not move. After the horses left, they immediately went down the mountain to Taibai Road to join the Han army.
…
Qingsongyuan once again became a battlefield between the two armies. The Han army slaughtered sheep and chickens and had sufficient food and fodder, while the Cao army killed horses and dug wild vegetables and could not even fill their stomachs.
Every day they looked at each other and shouted on the top of the mountain, saying that those who were willing to surrender would be forgiven and would have no worries about food and drink. They even set up a rack on the mountain and roasted whole sheep.
Xiahou Yuan was ready for a desperate fight. After several fruitless challenges, he used Liu Qi's strategy to turn the tables and moved the camp forward until it was only three miles away from the enemy camp. However, the Han army remained unmoved. The morale of Cao's army declined, and even deserters appeared.
In the Han army camp, Huang Zhong and other generals were already impatient and requested to go into battle. At this time, Cao's army was already vulnerable, and all the generals rushed out together and won a great victory.
Liu Qi said, "Haven't you heard that a trapped beast will still fight, and an army in distress will win? Xiahou Yuan is determined to fight to the death, so engaging him is not the best strategy."
Huang Zhong said anxiously, "I have pretended to be injured and retreated despite my reputation. My lord has promised me to capture Xiahou Yuan alive. If I wait any longer, Cao's army may collapse and escape through the secluded mountain paths."
It turned out that the last time Huang Zhong went out, he had already worn a cotton robe under his armor, and a pair of thin armor next to his body. He was planning to pretend to be defeated and let Xiahou Yuan chase him, and pretend to be injured and retreat when he was shot with arrows.
Unexpectedly, Xiahou Yuan also used a trick and actually used a substitute to fight, hiding in the army and shooting arrows, which was exactly what Xiahou Yuan wanted. At this time, he was eager to avenge his previous humiliation.
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Don't worry, old general. I have observed Cao's army camp these days and have a countermeasure. I guarantee that Xiahou Yuan will be captured easily."
Huang Zhong asked hurriedly: "My lord, what good plan do you have?"
Liu Qi brought Huang Zhong to the top of the mountain, where several defenders were gnawing on lamb legs in the grass. Their mouths were full of oil, so they quickly wiped their hands to greet them.
Liu Qi signaled to them that it was time to eat and drink. The weather was still cold, and it was not easy to stand guard on the top of the mountain in the wind and sun.
The two men came to the cliff, and they could see Cao's camp at a glance. He said to Huang Zhong: "Xiahou Yuan is moving forward step by step. It seems that he is forcing me to fight, but in fact he is moving the camp forward to prevent our army from launching a surprise attack. This is a strategy of retreating by advancing."
Huang Zhong suddenly realized, "I never thought Xiahou Yuan would be so scheming."
Liu Qi pointed down the mountain and said, "Old General, can you see the row of deer antlers in front of the camp?"
Huang Zhong stroked his beard and said, "The antlers of Cao's army are all made of old trees. It is difficult for cavalry to pass through. It is not easy to launch a surprise attack."
Liu Qi shook his head and said, "I am not here to see Cao's army's defensive posture. If I want to capture Xiahou Yuan, I will land on that row of deer horns."
Huang Zhong was stunned and asked, "Why?"
Liu Qi also pretended to be mysterious and laughed, "We will know the answer in a few days."
The next morning, Liu Qi ordered Yan Yan to lead the infantry to attack suddenly, destroy the deer horns in front, and when Cao's army came after them, they immediately retreated.
When Xiahou Yuan heard the news, he rushed to fight, but Yan Yan had already retreated, so he ordered his men to repair the deer antlers. He went out again in the afternoon and destroyed the antlers again.
Xiahou Yuan was furious and personally guarded the front camp, but the Han army did not make any move. He went out to fight, but no one responded. He was so angry that he was furious.
That night, Zhang Yi and Ju Fu took turns to go out of the camp and destroy the deer horns, pretending to attack Cao's camp. The drums beat continuously all night and fires broke out many times.
Cao's army was already hungry, thirsty and tired, and after repeated harassment, they became even more exhausted and had lost all morale.
Xiahou Shang advised: "Liu Qi must know that our army has no food. This is a strategy to tire out the soldiers. Why don't we withdraw the front camp and defend Qingsongyuan until the food and grass are delivered, and then it will not be too late to fight again."
Xiahou Yuan's face turned pale, and he said in a deep voice: "Liu Qi has many tricks, and the enemy is in high spirits. If we withdraw the front camp, they will take the opportunity to attack the main camp. If we lose this place, won't all our efforts be wasted?"
While they were discussing, Xun You sent someone to report that Liu Qi had left an ambush on Taibai Road and had burned the plank road. As a result, food and fodder had not arrived and their retreat was cut off.
Xiahou Yuan was horrified and ordered the messenger to keep it strictly secret to avoid the army losing morale. He sat in the camp with a gloomy face, at a loss as to what to do.
Xiahou Wei said, "Liu Qi has resorted to such a vicious scheme. From now on, we have no way to retreat. We can only move forward with all our might. Father, why don't you mobilize the entire army and fight to the death?"
"That's exactly what I meant!" Xiahou Yuan slowly stood up and ordered, "Pass the order down. Only 500 horses will be left in the army. The rest will be slaughtered. The whole army will be well fed and ready for orders. When the military advisor arrives tomorrow, we will fight to the death."
Xiahou Wei went to deliver the order, and the scouts came back to report that Yan Yan had led his troops to destroy the deer horns again, and shot and killed many defenders with arrows. The generals were afraid of his bravery and dared not fight.
Xiahou Yuan was furious and urged his horse to rush straight to the front camp. The Han army on the mountain had already seen him and waved their flags, and Yan Yan led his troops to retreat.
"Liu Qi, I swear to kill you!" Xiahou Yuan roared to the sky.
Seeing that many of the soldiers were injured, all of them were pale and looked miserable, he dismounted and stepped forward, personally leading people to repair the deer antlers.